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Setting up a Design Support Program from scratch

Design4Innovation partner, Business and Cultural Development Centre (KEPA), collaborates with the Danish Design Centre (DDC) and Estonian Design Centre (EDC), on the implementation of the Horizon2020 funded project "Co-create Design Innovation Services - CODIS". The project is synergetic to Design4Innovation goals and all the project partners are looking forward to learn from KEPA's experience.

Brief description of the project

During the implementation of the project, the three partners peer-review the whole “life-cycle” of an innovation service provision: the procedures of setting up a design-support service that satisfies its target group, the awareness raising regarding design support opportunities, the provision of the services themselves, the post-evaluation of the provision and the improvement of the service. Using the Twinning Advanced methodology, this initiative will lead to the elaboration of a Design Option Paper (DOP), which will include the results of the peer-review process on existing services, and will be a backbone of how to set up a “design support service”. The DOP will be used as a "guide" - "guidebook" for other similar agencies to design and/or implement similar, friendlier programmes and services on design support for SMEs.

What have been done so far

Back in June, partners held a peer-learning workshop at Estonian Design Centre’s premises in Tallinn. This 2-days workshop aimed at exchanging expertise among the three partners. More specifically, the representatives of the partners - members of the peer-learning group-, presented a series of design support services and programmes they offer, in order to identify the advantages and the disadvantages of their service delivery systems and to jointly review them. The main purposes of the workshop were, to strengthen the capacity of the participants regarding design support services and their ability to design and implement/ manage such local/regional/national support programmes, while at the same time, the participants co-identified the components of the final project deliverable -Design Option Paper-.

From June to October, partners were working on the development of the draft guideline (on how to set up such a design support program/service), based on the identification of good and bad practices and the peer-learning workshop’s outputs. An innovative element of CODIS, is that it has foreseen to test this draft guidebook in real life, to showcase if it actually works in order to set up a design support program/service.

As so, the three partners met again, during the week of 12th to 16th of November, in order to set up a new program from scratch.

Representatives of KEPA, DDC and EDC combined their forces in a five-days intensive hands-on workshop, developing the context and the content of a brand new design support program, RE:CONNECT.

The new Design Support Program

RE:CONNECT is a program, that aims to bring 5 local SMEs together with 5-10 local designers, in order to enable participating SMEs enhance user experience in the businesses’ products and/or services. At the same time, it aims to further develop local designers’ skills and competencies.

Through the implementation of the program, beneficiaries SMEs will become able to reconnect with their customers and to deliver products and/or services that fully address their needs. Designers, will accompany Hellenic Design Centre’s executives throughout the program delivery, reconnecting with new design trends and creative methodologies.

The program will be offered through KEPA’s design dedicated initiative, the Hellenic Design Centre and will be announced during the next months.